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League/Tournament Brands:
- British Telecommunications plc (BT) has signed a deal with Excel Esports, becoming the exclusive lead partner of the UK-based esports organization.
- As part of the deal, BT’s logo will appear on apparel worn by Excel, and its UK-based development League of Legends team will be renamed BT Excel.
- BT is the lead partner for all of the Home Nations soccer teams across the UK for all levels.
UK-based broadband internet and cable television provider BT has signed a deal with Excel Esports becoming the exclusive lead partner of the British esports organization. As part of the deal, BT’s logo appears on apparel worn by Excel, including its League of Legends European Championship (LEC) team and the Excel UK League Championship (UKLC) team, which has been renamed BT Excel. BT will also provide Excel with connectivity and infrastructure support for training and competition purposes.
“We couldn’t be more proud to be playing a part in BT’s first steps into the world of esports. It’s great to work with a partner that understands the importance of developing the grassroots ecosystem in professional gaming,” said Kieran Holmes-Darby, co-founder & chief gaming officer, Excel Esports. “Excel is known for nurturing UK talent, which is why we invested in training facilities at Twickenham Stadium and is also why BT is [a] fantastic partner because they can help provide us with the infrastructure we need to improve our players’ performance.”
Excel Esports will wear the BT apparel for the first time this weekend at the Neosurf Cup which takes place at Twickenham Stadium in London, also home to Excel’s headquarters. As part of the brand activation, Excel’s 2020 jerseys will feature in an upcoming BT campaign.
This deal follows last year’s announcement that BT is now the exclusive long-term lead partner for all of the Home Nations soccer teams across the UK at all levels—placing BT’s logo on the jerseys of the national soccer teams for England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland.
BT is the latest company to join Excel Esports’ list of partners and sponsors including online payments company Neosurf, gaming hardware brand HyperX, UK-based PC maker Chillblast, Belong Gaming Arenas, and apparel brand Raven.
This is BT’s first deal in the esports industry. The company joins fellow telecommunications company Deutsche Telekom, who gained a 25% stake in German esports organization SK Gaming in December, and in November 2019 signed on as a sponsor of the League of Legends Premier Tour.
